Ezza Nails, a Chicago startup trying to reinvent the nail salon experience, is opening its second location in the Loop with the help of a seed funding round it raised just last month.
The startup’s new salon, at 180 N. Wacker Dr., opens for business on May 15. The 1,100 square-foot-space features eight manicure and three pedicure stations. Ezza says it hired more than 15 new employees as part of the opening.
Ezza’s original salon is in Streeterville, at 240 E. Illinois St., and the startup says it has plans to open a third Chicago location later this year. In April, Ezza raised $1.5 million in a funding round that included local investor Matt McCall and GingerBread Capital, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based venture firm that invests in women-founded startups.
Launched in 2016 by Ale Breuer and Kim Marsh, two Teach for America and University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumnae, Ezza differentiates itself from traditional nail salons by offering membership models, and allowing customers to book appointments and pay for services online.
Additionally, Ezza says it “brings integrity to an exploitative industry” by empowering women on “both sides of the manicure table.”
"In traditional nail salons, education and training is virtually nonexistent,” Breuer said in a statement to Chicago Inno. “Many salons operate by creating a culture of fear and competition between their nail technicians, who are often not paid well and work very long days, in part due to the unpredictability of customers and appointments.”
Ezza says it offers higher hourly wages, bonus pay, health and dental benefits, and paid training and career advancement opportunities.
“At Ezza, we offer not just jobs but careers, which ensures that our guests receive an outstanding experience that is high quality and consistent every time they visit,” Breuer said.
The salon’s name, Ezza, comes from the Italian word “essato,” which means exact.
The new Loop salon has a posh and modern feel to it, with emerald velvet furniture, marble countertops and brass accents. Like its Streeterville salon, Ezza's new location offers lockers for customers to keep their belongings in during their appointments. Each one is labeled with the name of a high-profile woman, such as Beyoncé Knowles and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Additionally, the walls are adorned with images of powerful women throughout history, including Ellen DeGeneres’ 1997 TIME cover and a portrait of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
“We’ve thought through every little detail in our second location,” Breuer said. “We’re celebrating the strength and resilience of women throughout history, while also solving the problems you find in most salons throughout the country.”
